


Furry Tales

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Al would be proud, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate characters are cats, Anthropomorphic, Feelings, Fluff, Little bit of angst, M/M, No Smut, Or chibi cat anthropomorphs, Totally spelled that wrong, Update: Ed and Al can be read as anthropomorphs or ~actual~ cats -story is designed for both, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, kitties!, tiny bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 02:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7490046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ed couldn't figure out why Al liked humans so much. They were furless freaks that smelled funny and chose to live in weird places. They weren't even good hunters!</p>
<p>So why was Al rubbing up against them and *purring* of all things?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Furry Tales

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters and I do not make money off of this. I only create fantasies.
> 
> This was an idea I had sitting in my head for a while. I had planned on making it a chapter fic, but it didn't turn out too long. Oh well.

_"Brother, can I keep them? Please~?"_

_"No, Al. You are not keeping the cats."_

"Brother, can I keep them? Please~?" 

"No, Al. You are not keeping the humans."

Ed's tail twitched in agitation from where he was perched on the balcony railing. He didn't know what it was about humans that made Al want to keep them so much. They were furless freaks that stomped with their huge paws everywhere they went. They weren't even good hunter's for Pete's sake!

"But, Brother..." Al whined, making his eyes especially big as he folded his ears back flat to his head.

"No buts, Alphonse." Ed hissed, his own ears turning down in frustration. "We need to get to the back alley before all the fresh meat tips are gone."

"Can we come back and visit?" Alphonse pleaded as he wiggled out of the human's grasp.

_"Ah! Kitty, no! Please don't go!"_

" _Al, let go of the cat! It obviously doesn't want to be here!_ "

"Sure," Ed rolled his eyes, "If they give us food, that is."

Al seemed to droop a little at that. Most humans liked the two cats for a while, but when they kept coming back, the bowls of food slowly started to creep closer and closer to the door before they were set right inside the human settlement –a place Ed and Al had sworn to never go.

If these two humans fed them, Ed would allow them to come back, but the moment the food disappeared, so would they.

"Come on now, let's get going before all the pickings are gone." Ed huffed as Al clambered onto the railing with the grace of a new-born kit.

"Well, hello there." A deeper voice purred to Ed's right. The blonde cat jumped, his tail bristling in surprise. Baring his teeth, he hissed at the newcomer.

"No need to be aggressive." the other cat purred, his black tail twitching and curling around his paws. The feline had dark fur the color of the dark shadows Ed and Al traveled and eyes a dark blue that reminded Ed of the sky before night fully set. His face looked smug enough that it set Ed's fur on edge. "New to the territory?"

"How'd you know?!" Al piped up, ever the cheerful one. Ed just took a step back, forcing Al to take a step back with him.

"Well, your scents aren't strong in this area." the cat shrugged. The bell on his collar jingled with the motion.

"You're a kitty-pet?" Al asked.

"Recently, yes." the cat swiped at the collar, "My friend found a human that he thought I would like. He feeds me, so I've stuck around. Nothing interesting really goes on around here though. You're the first entertainment I've had all week!"

"Really?

"Al, enough talking with the kitty pet." Ed ordered, pushing his brother back the way they had come. The black cat was drawing on his last nerve and the humans were staring on in concern. If they made a scene, there would be no possibility of food. "Let's go."

"Aw, don't leave yet!" the black cat whined. "At least tell me you're coming back."

"If there's food, we will!" Al chirped. "Brother said so!"

"Al,  _move it._ " Ed head butted his brother, trying to get him on the move. It finally worked and the two leapt from balcony to balcony until they could skitter down the fire escape. Ed felt the dark cat's eyes on him the entire time.

*          *          *          *          *

The next time they came, there was, indeed, food.

"Yay!" Al cheered, digging in immediately.

Ed sulked and stood watch until Al was finished. As he stood vigil, he saw the human that had held Al walk by, look out the glass door, and then do a double-take. The human's jaw dropped and he ran into another room. Ed flicked his ear, uninterested in the human's antics.

Then, the human came back out, dragging the other one with it. This one had long hair that swung in a way that made Ed want to bat at it, but he refrained. He knew that humans didn't like that and since this one was already scowling, he wouldn't take his chances.

"It's the human!" Al squealed when he caught sight of what he had dubbed 'his human'. He scurried over to the glass door and stretched up to paw at it, meowing pitifully. The first human immediately moved to open the door while the other one's scowl deepened. 

Ed's stomach rumbled, but he wasn't about to look away to eat while Al was in the hands of a human. 

"Ah! You're back!" a voice called from the next balcony over. 

Ed turned to scowl at the newcomer.

_"Al, look what you've done! Now we've got **three**  cats using us as a meal ticket!"_

_"Take another look, Ed, that's our neighbor's cat."_

_"Which one?"_

_"I think he belongs to Roy."_

_"... Who?"_

_"The guy with the short black hair?"_

_"..."_

_"He spends most days in his house, writing up trashy romance novels?"_

_"..."_

_"*sigh* The bastard."_

_"Ooooh! Him! Why didn't you just say so, Al?"_

_"Why is it that **that**  is how you recognize him?"_

_"I call 'em as I see 'em."_

"You know, I don't think I caught your name." The black cat continued, hopping across the space between balconies. "My name is Roy."

"My name is none of your business." Ed answered snootily and turned back to watching Al be fondled by the human. The strange human was rubbing his face into Al's fur, scent-marking him in a way that set Ed's fur on end. 

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a strange name?" Roy asked, perching on the corner of the railing.

Ed flicked his ear at him.

"Ah! Rude." Roy griped, his own tail twitching in response.

" _Roy-boy, where'd you go?_ " Ed heard another human call. Why were there so many of them in one place?!

"Oh, that's my person." Roy looked back nonchalantly. "He's probably looking for me."

"Then go away." Ed hissed, ears lying flat against his head. The human with long hair shifted and the air scented with unease, so Ed hunkered down, making himself look smaller to avoid attack.

"Hmm..." Roy stared at Ed for a few seconds before letting out an ear-piercing wail. Ed jolted and nearly lost his balance before hissing and batting at Roy with his claws.

"What are you  _doing_?!" Ed demanded, but his question was answered seconds later when a dark haired human walked out onto the balcony Roy had come from. 

" _There you are, you silly cat_." the human muttered, blinking when he saw Ed. " _And you've found a friend... Don't go thinking I'm some food source just because you made friends with the cat in my house._ "

_"No worries there."_ the long haired human grumbled. " _At least you aren't setting **food**  out for them."_

" _Oh, Edward_!" the dark haired human looked genuinely surprised. " _I didn't see you there_."

_"What did you say you bastard?!"_  the human shot back. Ed cowered at the angry tone in his voice. Even Al was getting antsy, trying to wiggle his way out of his human's hold. His human took a step away from the long haired one and towards the balcony, bringing Al closer to Ed. " _Who are you calling so small he can’t be seen over the railing!?_ "

" _I believe it should be obvious."_  the dark haired human smirked, " _After all, there are only three of us here."_

That seemed to rile the long haired human up. Roy's owner, Ed noted with sadistic glee, was  _exactly_  the black cat himself.

Deciding he'd had enough of Al's 'human time', Ed called out, "Al, let's go."

"Leaving already?" Roy whined.

"But, Brother, you didn't get to eat yet." Al complained.

"I'll eat later." Ed huffed, ignoring the way his stomach growled at him. "Let's go."

Al sighed, but wiggled out of his human's arms and onto the railing.

_"Aw, is it time for Alley Cat to go?"_

_"Al, did you seriously just name it?"_

_"Yes, Brother, I did."_

_“… You have horrible taste in names.”_

"You're coming back, right?" Roy called after them as his owner reached across the railings for him.

"There's food!" Al called back in answer. Ed kept his mouth shut and led the way down the fire escape and into their chosen alley. There, he scrounged up something for himself, resolutely ignoring the thought of the juicy meat he had passed up for dumpster remains.

*          *          *          *          *

The next time they returned, there was no food.

"What's going on?" Al meowed at the door. 

His human came by when he heard the sound and started towards the door with a smile on his face before he frowned and yelled back into the room.

_"Ed, what did you do with the food bowl?"_

_"I put it away, Al."_

_"Why would you do that?!"_

_"Because it's attracting creatures!"_

_"Cats are not **creatures**! They are beautiful, perfect beings of-!"_

_"I was talking about the **raccoons**  I saw eating from it yesterday. Cats aren't the only things attracted to free food, Al."_

_"... Where is the food bowl now?"_

_"In the dishwasher."_

_"Thank you, Brother."_

"Human?" Al whimpered at the glass door as the human started away from him. "Human, come back! Human!"

_"I know, I know, Alley Cat! I'm getting it now! Poor thing."_

"Al, enough." Ed snapped, cuffing him on the ear. "If there's no food, there's no food. We should-!"

He was cut off by the glass door sliding open, startling both cats up onto the railing. They watched with cautious eyes as Al's human set down a bowl with delectable meat chunks in it.

"Human!" Al leapt down and raced over, twining around his human’s legs to show his appreciation. Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes, but cautiously leapt down too. He meandered over to the food dish, careful to keep an eye on Al and his human. His brother was still on the ground and playfully batting at the human's hands when he reached for him. The human seemed to take this in stride, tickling at Al's flank and watching the cat roll over to try and catch him.

Ed managed a few peaceful bites that sated his hunger before he felt something large looming over him. Instinctively, he hissed, leaping away as his fur stood up along his back. He only realized his mistake, when he saw that the hovering thing (a hand) was connected to Al's human, who looked as if he had been swiped by some cat's claws. Ed checked, but his own claws didn't have blood on them. 

"Brother!" Al admonished. "He's just a human."

"You  _know_  how I feel about them touching me, Al!" Ed hissed, his tail lashing behind him as he kept as far away from the human as possible.

"He was just trying to pet you!"

"He can keep his filthy hands to himself for all I care!" Ed growled before jumping up onto the railing to keep his distance. Al huffed and the two had a stare off before Al finally conceded and padded over to eat his own fill.

" _Al, what’s going on?"_  The long-haired human called from inside the human nest. He was coming out when he saw the other human and stopped. " _What's wrong? It sounded like a cat fight out here."_

" _Nothing_." the short-haired human answered. " _Just... that one doesn't like to be touched_."

The long haired human scoffed and rolled his eyes. " _I could have told you that much. He's kept his distance from day one."_

The short haired human gave Ed a discerning look, but another voice called to the cat's attention.

"None of your business!" the black cat greeted as he leapt the railing. "Not that it isn't nice to see you again, but I couldn't help but hear you and your brother arguing."

"That is  _not_  my name." Ed hissed, tail lashing behind him as his ears slicked back. He could feel his muzzle lifting up to bare his teeth. "And the human was just getting a little too close for comfort."

"You know, most cats don't bite the hand that feeds them." Roy noted with a cocked head. His tail laid itself perfectly over his feet. "That would be considered counter-productive."

"If we were a  _kitty-pet_ ," Ed spat, "like you, I might be persuaded to listen, but we are no human's lap cat!"

"You say that  _now_ ," Roy purred, "But you're already eating their food, playing with the humans…" He cast a glance where Al had rolled over and batted at a toy his human had brought out. "Soon enough, you'll be wandering into their house and getting a collar put on you."

"No." Ed growled, teeth bared, "We won't."

"Don't you see?" Roy asked, looking so  _damn_  smug. "It's already happening."

Ed hissed and spat, "Al! We're leaving!"

"Aw, five more minutes?" Al asked as he rolled onto his feet. 

" _Now_ , Alphonse." Ed ordered, his claws unsheathing. His brother saw the action and knew it wasn't directed at him, but also knew his older litter mate wouldn't stay for much longer. If he wanted a chance to come back at all, he needed to listen to his brother.

"Don't be a stranger!" Roy called after them.

_"Bye, Alley Cat! Bye, Ed-Kitty!"_

_"Al... did you just name a cat after me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because he reminds me of you."_

_"He nearly took your hand off!"_

_"Oh, hello there, Edward."_

_"Get the fuck back in your house, bastard!"_

_"My, someone's cranky."_

_"And you wonder why he reminds me of you."_

*          *          *          *          *

It took two weeks for Al to persuade Ed to return. Once again, there was no food, but as soon as Al meowed at the glass door, his human was opening it and gently placing a bowl down, meat steaming.

"Brother, it's  _warm_!" Al meowed happily, prancing around his human and the bowl. 

"So are the mice we catch, Al." Ed retorted as he bent to eat quickly. The faster he ate, the sooner they could get out of there. Of course, Al was going to take forever since it had been so long since he'd seen his human. 

"I thought you had run away for sure this time." Roy said as he sauntered up behind Ed.

"So sorry to disappoint." Ed licked his chomps and scooted away, taking up a corner of the balcony.

"Believe me, I'm glad you came back." Roy gave his shoulder a lick. "It's so boring without some company."

"What about your owner, kitty-pet?"

"He's always stuck at the humming square." Roy sighed. "He just taps at the black rectangle all day and ignores me. I don't need him for much, you know, just belly rubs every minute or so, but he's so mean!"

"I honestly don't give a shit." Ed said, eyes lidded as he watched Al climb all over his human.

"You could at least  _pretend_  to care about my troubles." Roy said, tail flicking as he laid it over his feet. "It would be the polite thing to do."

"I ain't no kitty-pet." Ed spat with a dull look, tail twitching in agitation.

Movement in the corner of his eye had him jerking to look at the other human, the one with long hair, that was wandering over to Al's human. This human was cautious, eyeing Ed like he might bite (smart human), as he sat down just inside the door.

Al paused at the new human, rolling onto his feet and lumbering over to give him a curious sniff. The human tensed, as if to strike, but held still. Ed felt his ears dropping low in warning as Al crept closer and rubbed up against the other human's knee.

The long haired human slowly raised his hand and Ed let a growl build in his throat.

" _Whoa there, Ed-Kitty."_

"Brother, cut that out!" Al hissed, arching his back against the long-haired human, encouraging him.

"Al, you shouldn't get too familiar with them." Ed hissed back, but he crouched lower, admonished. 

"And  _you_  could afford to lighten up a little." Roy nudged him, dodging a sharp nip. "They aren't going to hurt him."

"They wouldn't be the first to try." Ed scowled. The long haired human decided he was no longer a target and ever-so-gently stroked a hand down Al's spine. "You kitty-pets might have it all nice up here, but it's not the same for every cat. Every human is different. Some lure you in and try to trap you, others are mean from the start. Very few are genuine when they set out food for us. We just had to learn to cope."

"You call this coping?" Roy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Al butters them up with the affection they expect." Ed shrugged, "I sit back and make sure they don't try to take advantage of that."

"Sounds like you've got a system."

"Told you. We learned to cope." Ed said, eyes on Al and the two humans. A small part of his attention was also on Roy. Although the cat had not attacked before, it wouldn't be the first time a feline had been a tail-clawer.

When he had decided enough was enough, Ed called Al to him and the two left again, much to the disappointment of Al and Al's human. The long-haired human looked indifferent and Roy, as always, pleaded for them to return to combat boredom. So far, this was turning out to be a good thing, but Ed didn't want to let his guard down. He and Al couldn't afford for that to happen.

*          *          *          *          *

The days got shorter and the nights got colder as Ed and Al continued to visit. Ed permitted them to stay longer and longer as the open balcony door emitted such warmth that Ed was reluctant to leave until his paws were no longer numb. Roy was still an annoyance, but it was one Ed could deal with. The long-haired human still kept his distance, much like Ed did, but Al and his human were getting cozier and cozier, until one day, when Ed said it was time to leave...

"No." 

Ed blinked and looked back at his brother. "What did you say?"

"I said 'no'." Al reiterated. His voice was firm, but his shoulders hunched.

"What do you mean  _no_?" Ed demanded, tail whipping behind him without direct thought. 

"Brother, it's getting colder every night." Al tilted his head to the side as if to convince his brother. "Soon, it will be winter and-!"

"We've been through winters before, Al." Ed hissed, teeth bared, "Try again."

The innocent act dropped and Al straightened up, the fur down his back poofing up to make him look bigger. "The truth is, I like these humans, Ed. They're nice, give me food and this one plays with me. I don't want to keep leaving."

"We can't trust them-!"

"Then who can we trust?" Al hissed, his ears going flat. Behind him, the humans shifted uneasily. "You may be able to brave the streets, Ed, but I can't! I... I wasn't made for it. I can't keep doing it."

Ed was silent for several minutes, ears pressed to his skull as he and Al stared each other down. Finally, he took a single paw step back, head drooping.

"I thought we were in this together..." he rasped, throat burning and tongue thick in his mouth.

"Brother..." Al took a hesitant step forward.

"I was wrong."

Ed leapt to the railing and raced across the balconies, ignoring the cries of his brother as he left him far behind.

*          *          *          *          *

Ed stayed away. He caught glimpses of Al in the streets, being carried by his human. His brother now wore a brightly colored collar around his neck, signaling his status as a kitty-pet. Ed wanted to feel disgusted and betrayed, instead, he felt sad and lonely.

He was supposed to be Al's brother, how could he have missed something so big?

From time to time, Al would spy him in the alleys or behind trash cans and call out to him, but Ed never replied, ducking and quickly making his escape. He learned to avoid areas where Al and his human would be. After their fight, Ed couldn't bear to face his brother, not until he could make it up to him, but... how could he?

Before, Ed would catch Al a nice mouse or give him the softer bedding but Al didn't need those now. There really wasn't anything Ed could use to win his brother's forgiveness. What did you get a kitty-pet that had everything?

Maybe... maybe Roy would know?

Ed loathed to ask that snobby cat, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

*          *          *          *          *

"You're here." Roy stated the obvious, eyes wide and blinking at him. "Why are you here?"

"I need help." Ed said, ears and tail low in askance. He was about ready to sink to his belly, but what little pride he had left kept him on his feet.

"With your brother?" the cat asked. Ed was surprised, but then again, Roy was very nosy. He probably heard their argument from weeks before and had just been waiting for Ed to come by again.

"Yes." Ed admitted. "I don't know what to do."

"I'm afraid there's nothing you  _can_  do." Roy answered softly, ears drooping.

"What?" Ed squinted his eyes at him.

"Ed, they do the best they can, you know." Roy started, further confusing Ed. "But sometimes... it's not enough."

"What are you _talking about_?!" Ed demanded, his heart picking up in his chest.

"Al and his human?" Roy asked, now equally confused.

"What does his human have to do with this?" Ed asked, tail lashing behind him. "The fight was between Al and me."

"The fi-?" Roy scrunched up his nose before realization dawned on him. "You don't know, do you?"

"Don't know what?" Ed demanded even as his stomach turned and rebelled against him.

"Al and his human got into an accident." Roy said evenly, as if to keep Ed calm by being calm himself. "They were walking across a thunder path and one of the monsters attacked them."

Ed felt the world drop out below him.

"They were injured and taken to a hospital." Roy continued, trying to ease Ed's fears. "The humans there know what to do-!"

But Ed wasn't listening.

He was leaping the gap to Al's human's balcony and raking his claws against the glass door, meowing at the top of his lungs. It couldn't be true! Al couldn't be hurt! Ed still had to make it up to him, he had to make things right! Any second now, Al would come bounding into the room, his human in tow and let Ed in, just to make sure that his brother was safe!

But Al didn't.

Instead, the long-haired human stumbled into the room, shuffling around and swaying precariously. He gave one look at the glass door and scowled.

" _He's not here, stupid cat. Go away."_

Knowing he had the human's attention, Ed meowed louder, frantically digging his claws into the glass. 

" _Didn't you hear me?!_ " the human sounded angry as he stomped over and unlocked the glass door. " _I said he's not-!_ "

As soon as the door opened, Ed slipped inside, streaking across the room with a sharp cry, "Alphonse!"

" _What the hell are you-!?"_

"Alphonse!" Ed shouted as he darted under beds and right back out of the room. The place was saturated with Al's scent, but everything was at least two days old. Al hadn't been here for a while. He couldn't possibly be-?

" _Dumb cat! I said he's not here!"_

Ed had seen what the thunder path monsters did to animals. To think that had happened to Al-?

_“Hey, you!”_

Ed was startled when he was snatched up by the scruff. His legs went wide, claws out as he held perfectly still, memories of being carried in his mother's mouth playing through his mind.

Angry eyes locked onto his and Ed froze.

" _What part of 'he's not here' don't you get?!"_  the human sounded enraged, like he was about to claw Ed across the face or dig teeth into his soft underbelly. Ed's ears went back instinctively, his tail curling between his legs. A whimper warbled up his throat. " _Al is gone! He's the one that feeds you! Not me! He's not here! So you shouldn't-!"_

The anger broke and water started to drip down the human's face as he pressed Ed against his chest. Ed's heart felt like it would beat out of his body as he was trapped in the human's arms.

_"S-so you shouldn't go look for h-him...because he's not h-here,"_  the human's tone was... sad –heartbroken, desperate. It was like he was doing what Ed  _wished_  he could do: sink his claws into something and never let go, to keep himself steady as the world spun wildly around him.

" _Wh-why did it have to be h-him? Alphonse...!"_

Ed felt the floor get closer as the human sank to his knees, back against a wall. The human didn't let up, pressing his face into Ed's fur, but Ed wasn't sure he wanted him to let go. It felt like those hands were the only thing keeping Ed together right then.

Ear pressed against the human's neck, Ed heard the soft whimpers that were trying to escape and failing as the human shook. Tail curled close, Ed let out the wails that the human could not.

A few minutes later, there was a banging on the door and an irritated, " _My gosh, will you shut that cat up!?"_

Ed's human stood and made to set Ed down, but the cat dug his claws into the human's covering, making his thoughts on that apparent. Held more securely, Ed eyed the door, recognizing the voice of Roy's owner from next door. His thoughts were confirmed when his human opened the door.

Initially, the dark-haired human looked tired and annoyed, but that soon changed when he looked at Ed's human.

_"Sorry, bastard, we'll... we'll try to keep it down."_

_"Edward, are you all right? I thought Alley Cat was still at the vet."_

_"He is. This is his brother."_

_"The other one? Hadn't he stopped showing up?"_

_"For a while, yeah, but tonight... he came in like a bat outta hell, running all over the apartment. I think he was looking for Alley Cat."_

_"I wonder if he knows? If he understands what happened...?"_

_"I don't know, I just..." Ed dug his claws in as his human shook. A trembling hand threaded through his fur. "I just couldn't kick him out. Al wouldn't like that, you know? But he just kept looking and-! Al isn't **here**! Alley Cat isn't  **here**! It's just  **me**! It’s just…!"_

_"...Ed, go pick out a movie."_

_"Wh-what?"_

_"Pick out the stupidest movie you can find. I'll be right back."_

Roy's owner left at that and Ed's human moved away from the door, even though it was still wide open. Ed's human bent to pick up a plastic thing from a column of plastic things and popped it into another plastic thing before pushing himself into the corner of the couch. His fingers were still tangled in Ed's coat, but the cat didn't mind. They had both lost someone and didn't know if they would get them back.

_"Sorry, had to make sure I didn't leave my cat alone."_ Roy's owner said, coming back with Roy in hand. _"Next thing you know, Roy-boy will be the one making the noise."_

_"You named your cat Roy-boy?"_

_"My friend did. He insisted that I needed one, this one specifically, so here he is."_

_"Sounds like a good friend."_

_"He is."_

The two humans were silent as Roy's owner sat down, settling Roy on his lap.

"I'm sorry, Ed." Roy said, ears hanging low. "I thought you knew! I never would have been so-!"

"It's not your fault, Roy." Ed said, ears pressed back, though his tail was still between his legs. He subtly buried his nose in his human's covering. "I should have been here. I shouldn't have treated Al that way. I should have kept an eye on him. Then, maybe..."

"If it's not my fault, it's not yours either." Roy asserted, eyes sharp. "You couldn't have known it was going to happen. If you did, I'm positive you would have done everything to prevent it, but that's the way life goes."

Ed was silent, breathing harder as his throat burned. 

"Ed," Roy continued quietly. "Al will be fine. The vet knows what he's doing. This happens a lot more often than you think."

"I know." Ed said quietly. "I just wish he was here."

They fell silent as sounds came from the large rectangle on the wall. The rectangle lit up with colors and movement, but Ed didn't pay it any attention.

"Roy..." Ed said, nearly a whisper. "Thanks."

The black cat purred.

_"Hey, Roy?"_

_"Yes, Edward?"_

_"Thanks for... you know, being here."_

_"No problem."_

_"Without Al and Alley Cat here..."_

_"It's too big?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I understand, Edward. If you ever need someone to sit and watch movies with you at three AM, I am always available."_

_"Weren't you sleeping just now?"_

_"I have no idea what you're talking about."_

_"You just yawned."_

_"I did no such thing."_

_"Bastard."_

_"Brat."_

_"...Thanks."_

_"You're welcome."_

***

The next day, Ed's human took him to the vet to get looked over. Ed got a bath in some weird smelling liquid, but the ticks that he hadn't been able to remove on his own had fallen off, so Ed was pleased. He also got to see Al.

His brother was caged up and dazed. There was a white thing on his back hind leg and his belly was shaved, but he was alive. That's what mattered.

Both Ed and Al were able to go home that day -home being the human nest that Ed's human lived in. Ed spent most of the day making sure Al didn't have to crawl out of his fluffy bed for anything other than using the bathroom.

"I'm fine, really Brother!"

"Say that when you don't fall face first into the wall, Al."

“That’s what the padding is for!”

“If you could aim at it, that is.”

Al huffed.

Al's human came home a few days later. His hind leg was also covered in stuff, though this one had scribbles on it. Ed's human did was Ed was doing, making sure that Al's human didn't need to leave his bed for anything.

_"I'm fine, really Brother!"_

_"Say that when you don't collapse every time you try to stand, Al."_

_"That's what crutches are for!"_

_"If you could use them without tripping."_

Honestly, Ed thought he and his human were a lot alike.

Roy came to visit with his owner a lot. His owner always riled Ed's human up, but it never seemed mean. Roy himself had taken to riling Ed up too ("Because it's fun!" Roy had explained with glee). 

A few months ago, Ed had never believed he and Al could live in a human nest with as much ease and safety as they did, but he wasn't about to complain.

After all, this was his new home, and he never wanted to leave.

 

End

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews: I don't want to hear "Good job!" or "Another chapter please!". If you want to say either of those, just drop a kudos. Only make a comment if you're giving constructive criticism, something that can make my writing or my world better.


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